Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
Welcome back to another edition of our diocesan podcast, Big City Catholics, with Bishop Robert Brennan, the diocesan Bishop of Brooklyn, myself, Father Christopher Henu, here at the Co Cathedral of St Joseph. This week we've celebrated two great saints, the saints St Patrick and St Joseph. The Solemnity of St Joseph, and we're looking forward to the celebration of the Annunciation later in March. We have a lot to talk about, but we'll begin with prayer. We'll take this prayer from the opening prayer of St. Joseph's feast day. In the name of the Father and of the Son, of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Grant, we pray, almighty God, that by St. Joseph's intercession, your church may constantly watch over the unfolding of the mysteries of human salvation whose beginnings you entrusted to his faithful care. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
[00:00:58] Speaker B: As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
[00:01:02] Speaker A: In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen. Bishop, good to be back with you.
[00:01:06] Speaker B: It's good to be back with you. Guest room yes, that's right. Last week I was recording on the road, we used the technology of Zoom, and I had a great conversation about vocations with a visit from Father Chris Specio, vocation director. And of course, today, as this releases, on Friday is the pilgrimage day at Immaculate Conception center in Douglaston.
[00:01:28] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:01:28] Speaker B: Which I'm thrilled that that's a pilgrimage site. But in addition, we extend the Pilgrim Day and we have the young people, our youth and young adult holy hour with a particular focus on religious vocations. So we celebrate a lot of the predictions religious vocations that come from this diocese. In recent years. I mean, over the years there are many, many, many vocations from Brooklyn and Queens, but in recent years, too. And we want to make sure that we're highlighting those because as I say to the kids at confirmation, these are people just like you. They sat in the same pews, they said the same prayers, and they heard God's call.
[00:02:07] Speaker A: Yeah. When I was in high school at Cathedral Prep, you know, there was such a push for diocesan priesthood. Of course, it is a diocesan high school seminary. But also to learn more about the other orders was such an important aspect of my formation, just to know, learn about the charisms. And so to expose these young people to the different charisms of the different orders, we're going to have a number of different religious groups, right?
[00:02:31] Speaker B: That's right. We most certainly will have two witness talks, and then a number of groups will be around during the refreshment time, just so that people can interact with them. I mean, hopefully there are some with vocations who can explore and ask questions. But even just the simple fact of interacting with particularly religious women, but religious men and women, and seeing the different congregations that are present here or that have people from here represented in their communities, it's a great opportunity. I'm looking forward to it. And, you know, that's. It's just the way everything falls. Today is the Pilgrim Day, but as we're speaking now, as this is released, we are just wrapping up the graduation Mass for our high school seniors. So we'll have celebrated that today on Friday. And as we look ahead recording this, I'm really looking forward. We did that last year, and I can't go to all the high school graduations. And yet, to me, the seniors from our high schools are incredibly important, and it's an opportunity for me to greet them, congratulate them, ensure them of our continued solidarity and prayers, but also, most importantly, to pray with them in the context of their senior year.
[00:03:41] Speaker A: We're certainly looking forward to again as this releases on the day of the graduation Mass. But we. We're expecting over 1200 people, 1200 high school seniors from all of the high schools in the diocese. And our capacity is about 1200 at the Coke Cathedral. So we're gonna have a full church, a very vibrant church, and just to see all the youth will be a very exciting, exciting day, and we're certainly grateful. You know, I know Father Caroly is helping to kind of oversee a lot of the logistics of it. What a great, great idea to bring all the high school youth together. You know, we've talked about this a number of times in these different podcast when young people think that their faith is just, oh, I might be the only one who believes this. And then they're in a setting where. And we're helping facilitate.
[00:04:28] Speaker B: Not only are they tempted to think it, but that's the message we're constantly hearing, is that there's something wrong with you. You're weird, you're different because you believe what you believe. And when you see. Yes. When you see other people sharing that same faith and especially being alive with that scene, the connection between having that anchor of faith and being a person fully alive, joyful, not without problems, but not alone. And that can be a great source of strength.
[00:04:55] Speaker A: Absolutely. What a beautiful week in terms of celebrating our faith. We began this week with the celebration of St. Patrick's Day on Monday, March 17th. And you were at the Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral. I was as well. What a nice celebration. You know, Bishop Martin, who is the Archbishop of Armagh. His secondary title, which I think is an incredible one, is successor of St. Patrick. That's a pretty heavy title. That's a big title. I mean, you as a bishop are a successor of the apostles, and all bishops are. But to be the successor of the see of St. Patrick. How did you enjoy St. Patrick's Day?
[00:05:31] Speaker B: A great deal. I didn't have as many of the St Patrick's celebrations leading into the day, just the way the calendar fell, especially with the late Lent. We'll talk about that later. But we were in the depths of the beginnings of Lent, the order of Christian initiation of adults, the right of election, all those other wonderful things. But there was a real focus that I didn't get to all the different events. I offered Mass at Holy Name on the Sunday before for the Brooklyn St. Patrick's Day parade, which took place the same day as the New York City Half Marathon. I joked that one of the churches closest to where I live takes the longest to get to, because when I went there for Our lady of Guadalupe, and then this time, too, everything closed all around. But again, there's that sense of connection between culture and faith. And this is something people were living out, and they were living it out very tangibly and then displaying that faith out in the streets. St. Patrick's Day, unfortunately, on the one hand, has become somewhat so well known that it speaks to the hearts of everyone. And at least there's something of the message in St. Patrick's that can seep through. But on the other hand, it's filled with distractions, some of them very much contradictory to the message of St. Patrick. And so we need always to keep refocusing, to remember what the feast is really all about. It's about a missionary to Ireland who transformed a nation, not with armies, not with power and might, but simply with the word of the Gospel and the authenticity of his own life. Living that gospel really and truly as well. We celebrate on that day the heritage of Irish people, like many, many communities in our own diocese, immigrant communities who've taken what they've experienced at home, brought it to this new land where there were opportunities, and maybe not even for themselves, but for their children, but brought with them that culture and that faith, and we see the inheritance that we've gained right here in Brooklyn and Queens, especially for generations of Irish immigrants.
[00:07:36] Speaker A: Yeah, I thought of something that you often say, you know, about your grandfather coming to this country from Ireland, not for his own well being, but for his children and his grandchildren. And on St. Patrick's Day, that was very obvious to me in so many ways. To see the Successes of the 2nd and 3rd generation Irish Americans that are here in this country, that they owe their successes to the great sacrifices of their forefathers, of their mothers and parents, their grandparents. It was really evident on St. Patrick's Day to me. And I even quoted you to a group of people. I said, you know, Bishop Brendan often says that his grandfather came to this country not for his own well being, but for his children, his grandchildren. And we reap the benefits of that. And it's so nice to continue that celebration.
[00:08:25] Speaker B: And while we see it ourselves in our own inheritance, we also see it unfolding in a new generation of immigrants, of people who've come here whose lives are not easy. God bless less people whose lives are not easy. But they come together in our churches with such a joy and a deep reverence for the gospel, finding strength in living the gospel, and again, taking on difficult work, living not in the most luxurious of situations. But we see how they're passing opportunities on to their children.
[00:08:58] Speaker A: That's right.
[00:08:58] Speaker B: And how we'll see that in their grandchildren. And we see a new generation from these communities making amazing contributions to our life here in the church and in Brooklyn and Queens. You know, speaking of the contributions in the church, one of the things we'll see tonight in this vocation, whatever you want to call it, a vocation, fair to use the language of focus, the big celebration of the college campus ministry, they call it Mission Way, an exposition of all the different opportunities. But we'll see this on display tonight in terms of the vocations, because we will see how the different communities from here in Brooklyn and Queens are contributing to the life of the church through vocations, how young people in these communities are hearing and responding. So those are the two things we celebrate, the culture and the faith and the gift of the immigrant community. That's very much a part of what the day is like. It's easy to get caught up with the distractions, but we're brought back to these central themes. I thought Archbishop Martin did an incredible job. His homily was just so beautiful. He connected with the holy year, the Jubilee year. Daring to hope, daring to hope. He said, patrick was a pilgrim of hope. And then he said about himself, he says, and I come here to you as a pilgrim of hope. I'm on this journey, but I'm filled with hope. And you know, he spoke about the experience of war in Ireland and terrorism. He spoke about the great hopes for peace in the world today and the need for that and why that virtue of hope is so, so important. And for us as Christians, that hope is anchored in Jesus Christ and in the gospel, that Jesus challenges us.
[00:10:42] Speaker A: Yeah, I thought his homily was really inspiring. And certainly, you know, even to keep kind of that message of daring to hope, daring to hope, even when at times when we seem to be sort of just bogged down with tragedy and war and tribulations all around us, to keep daring to hope, never lose that desire to hope.
[00:11:03] Speaker B: He spoke about Patrick's ability to dare to hope. That when he was there as a slave and all seemed lost, he dared to hope. He dared to hope, and he found freedom. But I thought about it later in the day and I said, you know, he went back then to his former way of life, which brought him comfort and joy. But even there, he dared to hope. He could have been caught up. He realized that that life was not full. You know, the life of revelry amongst his friends was not something that gave him hope, but that there was something else. And then he heard that call, the call of the Irish in the vision calling him back, daring to hope. And even there as a missionary, even in his success, as successful as he was, he found a little bit of opposition, certainly from the pagan kings, but also from a few jealous church leaders over on the other side of the pond, he dared to hope.
[00:11:56] Speaker A: You know, this week was filled with cultural sort of saints. You know, traditionally, I guess, St. Patrick, obviously, would be the patron of Ireland. And then Joseph, whom we celebrated the solemnity on March 19, on Wednesday, I guess traditionally, would have more of an Italian connection. But Joseph is our patron. He's our patron, the patron of the universal church. And so here at the co Cathedral of St Joseph, what a great celebration to have as well to celebrate his life.
[00:12:23] Speaker B: Indeed. You know, one of the priests was telling me yesterday, I didn't realize this, that the feast of St. Joseph is Father's Day in Italy. St. Joseph, patron of the family, patron of a happy death, patron of the universal church, a man of obedience. And what is obedience? Obey de seer. To listen and to let that guide you. He listened to the voice, voice of the Lord, and he let the voice of the Lord guide him. That's powerful.
[00:12:49] Speaker A: I think, just to go back to St. Patrick's Day for a second. In the archbishop's homily, he spoke about Patrick's courage, his obedience, his faithfulness to the mission as well. You could claim those same titles, those same qualities or characteristics to Joseph, his obedience to God's call, to the call that he was offered in playing a role as the foster father of our Lord Jesus Christ is his faithfulness to our blessed Mother Mary, his faithfulness to Jesus, his. His obedience, his courage. What a just a great, great celebration.
[00:13:19] Speaker B: And listening to the Lord often meant being somewhat adaptable because the plan kept changing. God kept throwing a few curveballs there. There's that image of now that's become very popular of the sleeping Joseph. And people have it by their bedside and they put their intentions underneath it. But he heard the voice of the.
[00:13:38] Speaker A: Lord in his dreams, I think you've said, and I think it's so funny. How does he even get a good night's sleep? Exactly. Joseph never even had a good night's sleep.
[00:13:47] Speaker B: But you think about it. First, Joseph, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. Then kind of obeying God's law by looking at his family, not hearing a voice, but having to deal with the civil authorities, making the way to Bethlehem and trusting that while everything was working against them, God would provide. Then Herod's out to get you, you got to take your family, and he getting up and making his way to Egypt. Then, okay, it's safe to go back then. No, it's not so safe to go back. But yes, that constant adapting rooted in the voice of the Father, rooted in the Father's voice. And you know, when you hear Jesus speaking about his relationship with the Father, you have to think that at that human level, the experience of growing up under Mary and Joseph would have reinforced that self identity as he is obedient to the Father's will. Thy will be done. Thy will be done. It becomes. It becomes part of his own identity. It's clearly there at the level of divinity. And there too, he learned it at the level of humanity from Mary's obedience. Be it done to me according to thy will. And from Joseph's humble obedience, where God leads him.
[00:15:01] Speaker A: You know, talking about obedience. And of course, this podcast releases on Friday, but on this upcoming Wednesday, 25th March, we celebrate another incredible solemnity, the Annunciation. And again, we reflect on obedience, we reflect on courage, we reflect on faithfulness, and we focus on our Blessed Mother Mary.
[00:15:20] Speaker B: That's right. I often say that this week these solemnities in the middle of Lent give us a little bit of a break. You might say it's sort of like the day you take off when you're Making a long pilgrimage.
You hear people like making the Camino de Santiago, that they spend a night in a comfortable hotel, a little bit of a rest along the way, and it's usually our rest in the pilgrim way. With a late Lent, we're barely getting off the ground, but still, these days are welcome. And, yeah, here we are in the rigors of Lent, and we're celebrating the Christmas mysteries, the message of Christmas. But it goes to show you that we're celebrating the whole Christ all the time. There are moments that we highlight, but it's always about the whole of Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and always. So that's another great feast we're going to celebrate this week. Coming up, the Feast of the Annunciation. And you make a great connection with Mary's own obedience. I love at Christmas time, there's a reflection in the office of readings on the day that that Gospel of the Annunciation is proclaimed in the days immediately before Christmas. So I think it's Saint Anselm. He imagines, you know, like all of creation, past and present, takes a deep breath when the angel proposes this plan to Mary. And in the nanosecond, it takes Mary to end. So everything stops and say, please, Mary, say yes. Yes. Everything depends on you. Please, Mary, say yes. And you can almost sense the sigh when she says, be it unto me according to thy word.
[00:16:57] Speaker A: That's beautiful. You know, if only we had the same. Obviously, Mary conceived without sin. Our blessed Mother Mary, perfect. Yet we strive for that. We strive for holiness. We strive to imitate the lives of these saints. Patrick, Joseph, ordinary men, certainly not spared from original sin as our Blessed Mother was. But yet ordinary men called into extraordinary tasks. And, you know, you think to ourselves, who am I? What impact can I make in this world, in this church? And yet, no, that's the idea that. The idea is that we're all ordinary men and women called to extraordinary things. And I think, you know, one of the reasons why we call this podcast Big City Catholics is to inspire the faithful of Brooklyn, Queens, and in this great city to realize we're just ordinary men and women, yet we're called to do extraordinary things. We're called to live extraordinary ways. What a great inspiration that is and a support for each other.
[00:17:53] Speaker B: You know, Patrick begins his confessions, his confessio, by saying, my name is Patrick. I am a sinner. I am the least of all believers. I am looked down upon by many. And yet it's not in spite of these realities. It was actually through those realities, through his recognition, that he allowed the power of God to work through him. Power of grace. That's how he transformed a nation. Well, we celebrate these feasts in the midst of our Lenten rigors, and we know that we get back on the way. We also pray intensely for those who are preparing for the Easter sacraments. This past week, we had the call to continuing conversion for those who are already Christian to make their profession of faith, receive the sacraments, and enter into the fullness of communion with the church, converting from other Christian denominations to embrace the fullness of Catholicism. So they did that last Sunday and throughout the second week of Lent. And now the scrutinies begin. All the rights people are getting ready to step into the fullness of the communion with the church, and we're excited about that. So we pray for them on this journey of faith as well.
[00:19:11] Speaker A: Certainly, certainly.
[00:19:12] Speaker B: And we continue our pilgrim journey. It's been a great pilgrimage so far, some great experiences being in different parishes. Parishes are reporting that it's a day of blessing for those parishes. The people of the parish really go out of their way to welcome pilgrims, but also to make it a special day for them. And it's been great seeing the pilgrims who are making the journey to the different station churches. So we ask the Lord to continue to guide us on that, and that through this experience, we may really be pilgrims of hope.
[00:19:43] Speaker A: Amen. Well, Bishop, perhaps you could give us a blessing as we continue to journey through this season of Lent, for us and for our families at home.
[00:19:50] Speaker B: Sure thing. Why don't we pray the Angelus, the prayer of the Annunciation? In the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. The angel of the Lord declared unto.
[00:19:58] Speaker A: Mary she was conceived by the Holy Spirit.
[00:20:00] Speaker B: Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
[00:20:05] Speaker A: Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
[00:20:10] Speaker B: I am the handmaid of the Lord.
[00:20:11] Speaker A: Be it done to me according to thy word.
[00:20:13] Speaker B: Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
[00:20:19] Speaker A: Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
[00:20:23] Speaker B: And the word became flesh and dwelt among us. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
[00:20:32] Speaker A: Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Amendment.
[00:20:36] Speaker B: Pray for us, O Holy Mother of.
[00:20:37] Speaker A: God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
[00:20:40] Speaker B: Pour forth, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy grace into our hearts, that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may through his passion and cross, be brought to the fullness of his resurrection through the same Christ our Lord.
[00:20:54] Speaker A: Amen.
[00:20:55] Speaker B: In the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
[00:20:57] Speaker A: Amen. Thank you, Bishop. And thanks to all who continue to join us each and every every week on this diossin podcast. Big City Catholics. We hope that you'll join us again next week. God bless.
